Doña Tomás owner opens Mexican restaurant in Oakland

Doña, a fast-casual version of Temescal’s longtime Mexican restaurant Doña Tomás, quietly opened last week on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland.

Dona Savitsky closed Doña Tomás earlier this year after 20 years in business. Despite Temescal’s increasingly bustling atmosphere, Savitsky said lunch was always slow. That, coupled with the rising costs of running a full-service restaurant, pushed her to start over.

“It was time to move on. We had to reinvent ourselves,” said Savitsky, who also owns Tacubaya in Berkeley.

Fans of Doña Tomás will find familiar flavors at Doña, which is open all day and features a menu that reads like the greatest hits from Doña Tomás’ lunch and dinner options. That includes Ceviche Tostaditos ($15) with raw ahi tuna and avocado; chicken enchiladas with mole rojo ($12); and the namesake salad ($11) featuring little gems, jicama, avocado and pepitas.

“We took everything that was popular and delicious and simple,” Savitsky said.

The big entree plates never made it over to Doña, but Savitsky carried over the meats like the popular oregano-perfumed carnitas, which can now be consumed in a taco, burrito or bowl as part of a new modular format. There are two new filling options: chicken tinga and roasted squash with kale.

Also new is weekday breakfast. Doña will serve Mexican-inspired quick breads, like an apple-cajeta scone, and hand-held chorizo-potato frittatas baked in muffin tins. These morning options and weekend brunch likely won’t start until January.

Doña’s colorful interior is inspired by 1970s Guadalajara.

Photo: Kristen Loken

The 4,300-square-foot space is part of the former market and restaurant Chow, which was carved up into three separate restaurants. It boasts a bright, colorful vibe inspired by 1970s Guadalajara and a 30-seat patio.

The full bar seats 16, where diners can choose from several cocktails emphasizing Tequila, mezcal and other Mexican spirits. The paloma, for example, features tequila, grapefruit and elderflower liqueur, while Doña’s spin on a pina colada opts for Oaxacan rum, coconut cream, lime and pineapple-vanilla syrup.

Janelle Bitker joined The San Francisco Chronicle in 2019. As the food enterprise reporter, she covers restaurant news as well as Bay Area culture at large through a food lens. Previously, she served as a reporter for Eater SF, managing editor at the East Bay Express, and arts & culture editor at the Sacramento News & Review. Her writing has been recognized by the California Newspaper Publishers Association and Association of Alternative Newsmedia.